Improving energy consumption and use is vital to CCNY’s future as a sustainable campus. In 2010, an energy assessment was performed by O’Brien and Gere Engineers, an American provider of operational services for higher education institutions. This audit highlighted potential areas of improvement for CCNY’s energy efficiency. And since this audit, CCNY has taken steps to improve their energy efficiency by general energy improvements and through improvements in specific areas like transportation. These steps include:
- Tracking the greenhouse gas emissions at CCNY.
- Switched the Marshak Science building and North Academic Center building (NAC) boilers from No. 6 fuel oil to natural gas (with No. 2 fuel oil as backup).
- Installation of motion detectors through 80% of the campus to limit unnecessary energy usage.
- Ungraded the central chiller plant controls.
- Implemented the Information Technology energy efficiency center.
- Completed the first portion of upgrading the Marshak Science building’s Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.
- Added and switched CCNY vehicles from regular fuel to those that are fuel-efficient, hybrid, or electric.
- Installed bicycle racks across campus to encourage cycling.
- Reduced parking rates to those who drive hybrid fuel vehicles to campus.
- Running the CCNY shuttle bus service for extended hours to and from subways stations to encourage the use of public transportation.
- Added two brand new “Blue Bird Vision” low sulfur diesel fuel vehicles to our fleet.
Though, for more accurate and current information on the campus’s energy efficiency, a new energy audit should be conducted.
